Does Portland check all these boxes? (plus question about homeless) (South Portland: low crime, neighborhoods)

[hellomoving12]

My husband and I may be relocating back to the northeast in less than a year, and there's a wishlist I have in my mind of what I'd be looking for in a town:

- Strong entrepreneurial/creative community (freelancers, entrepreneurs, business owners)
- Coastal/Near the water
- Liberal and/or progressive culture
- Strong sense of community
- Close proximity to nature/outdoor activities
- Vibrant/fun vibe
- Great food scene and abundance of cultural activities/things to do
- Walkable downtown/village
- Access to yoga/cycling studios, juice bars, hiking/walking trails, farmers markets, co-working spaces, cocktail bars, good restaurants, independently run businesses

I feel like Portland checks off all (if not most?) of the boxes. What do you think?

For reference, other cities I've considered are Portsmouth, Newburyport, Northampton, Salem, Boston, and Newport, RI, but I feel like Portland might be that "just right" kind of place.

Also, is the homeless population really as bad as everyone makes it out to be? I live in California right now and see dozens of homeless people daily (many that are clearly on drugs or mentally ill).

[Northern Maine Land Man]

In the winter, Maine has about 115 homeless people who stay in various locations with heated housing. Not many homeless people sleep under bridges in the winter.

[Submariner]

There are homeless shelters in Maine. On occasion, they get caught embezzling money. It is my impression that these facilities are full all winter. The homeless community is migratory, they tend to migrate South for the Winter.

I am from California, I moved to Maine after I retired. Maine does not have crime nor homeless issues like what California has.

[hellomoving12]

Thank you Submariner! I had a feeling it wasn't as bad as California, but several people in these Portland forums project that it's a huge issue there. I'm definitely used to a certain level of it here in Southern California!

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by hellomoving12

Thank you Submariner! I had a feeling it wasn't as bad as California, but several people in these Portland forums project that it's a huge issue there. I'm definitely used to a certain level of it here in Southern California!

Normalcy bias sets in.

I miss good Mexican food. The first few years of living in Maine we could not find any place that served decent Tex-Mex anything. Locals [who have never eaten Tex-Mex food] will rave about how wonderful a place is, but, ... if their only exposure has been Taco Bell, it stands to reason that they would assume Taco Bell is representative of Mexican food.

It is like someone eating in an Olive Garden and assuming that the menu should resemble Italian food. I lived in Italy for 3 years, nothing at an Olive Garden would be served in Italy. But if you only exposure to 'Italian' food was something prepared by a man four generations removed from Italy, what do you expect?

I have seen Mainer's complaining about their 'high' crime rates. I have not had to step over a single dead body since moving to Maine, so to me this is a very low crime area.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Submariner

I miss good Mexican food. The first few years of living in Maine we could not find any place that served decent Tex-Mex anything. Locals [who have never eaten Tex-Mex food] will rave about how wonderful a place is, but, ... if their only exposure has been Taco Bell, it stands to reason that they would assume Taco Bell is representative of Mexican food.

Gospel truth right there, folks. If there is a decent tortilla in New England, I have not found it yet.

About the homeless situation in Portland: Is it bad? Yeah. But compared to what? Compared to NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, etc ... it's nothing. There are definitely some neighborhoods in Portland where I wouldn't walk alone at night. But if there is a neighborhood anywhere in the state of Maine that is unsafe during the day, I haven't found it yet.

[Vance Mack]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

In the winter, Maine has about 115 homeless people who stay in various locations with heated housing. Not many homeless people sleep under bridges in the winter.

It's a lot more than that.


https://www.mainehousing.org/docs/de...e.pdf?sfvrsn=4

[Vance Mack]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

Gospel truth right there, folks. If there is a decent tortilla in New England, I have not found it yet.

About the homeless situation in Portland: Is it bad? Yeah. But compared to what? Compared to NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, etc ... it's nothing. There are definitely some neighborhoods in Portland where I wouldn't walk alone at night. But if there is a neighborhood anywhere in the state of Maine that is unsafe during the day, I haven't found it yet.

Taco Trio in South Portland is owned and operated by a Mexican family and is very good with a very loyal following.


El Corazon is a food truck and also a restaurant in Portland. It is owned and operated by a Mexican/Basque man and his daughter. Very popular. Try the Baja fish tacos.


Taco Escobar on Congress St in Portland is arguably authentic and seems to be quite popular but I'm not a huge fan.
Same for El Rayo in Portland and Scarborough.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Vance Mack

Taco Trio in South Portland is owned and operated by a Mexican family and is very good with a very loyal following.


El Corazon is a food truck and also a restaurant in Portland. It is owned and operated by a Mexican/Basque man and his daughter. Very popular. Try the Baja fish tacos.


Taco Escobar on Congress St in Portland is arguably authentic and seems to be quite popular but I'm not a huge fan.
Same for El Rayo in Portland and Scarborough.

Portland is a bit out of my to go for a taco, but thanks for the suggestions.

[Vance Mack]

I forgot about EL EL Frijoles in Sedgwick. More CaliMex than TexMex but not that bad.

El El Frijoles in Sargentville / Sedgwick, Maine: A Mexican food restaurant on the Blue Hill Peninsula